Trapped In Oneself
by Rose Manora
Summary: After a certain incident, Casper, Mantha, and Ra make a horrifying discovery. One of their classmates is trapped in their own body! Now, the friendly trio must find a way to save the real monster seen behind the eyes, before the darkness takes control forever. KrymynalKrimzon may be making a similar story. We challenged each other.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Mommy, what is that strange box in the basement?" The small child asked the much older creature.

As a child, he has always been curious, and asked lots of questions. He wanted to know everything about the world, and understand things he didn't quite understand. He wanted to discover new things and gain knowledge. He was a very ambitious child, but good and obedient as well. So when Kibosh came to the child's family with a strange wooden box with evil looking designs on it, the child couldn't help but be curious.

Ever since the box has been in the house, the child would sneak downstairs to the basement, where it was hidden for some reason, to take small peaks at it in curiosity. He often thought about opening it to see what was inside, and one night, he was actually going to do it, until he heard a demonic voice calling out to him from the box. That's when the boy decided it was time to finally ask.

The mother looked down at her son, her eyes soft with amusement at his curiosity. She bent down low to the young child to speak eye level with him.

"That sweetie, is called a Pandora Box, and it must never be opened." She explained, her eyes turning firm as she said this. "Kibosh trusted us with the box so it may be safe and out of the hands of those that might want to open the box and spread the darkness inside."

"How can darkness be inside a box?" The child raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Is it empty? How can an empty box be dangerous?"

The mother chuckled before escorting her son to bed, ignoring his curious questions for the evening.

"That's enough now, little one." She smiled gently. "It's time you got your rest. You'll be starting school for the very first time in the morning. Oh, my little man is growing up."

"Mom!" The child whined with a giggle.

The two said no more as the mother gently tucked her son into bed. She placed a kiss on his head before turning to leave the room.

"Goodnight my little prince." She smiled gently.

"Goodnight mommy." The child yawned back, snuggling into his covers after his mother had blew out the light and shut the door.

About an hour and a half went by before the child awoken to a strange noise. He sat bolt upright in his bed as he began looking around the dark, his eyes adjusting to see properly. Finally, he detected where the noise was coming from. It was coming from straight across from him, from his vent.

The sound was scratchy, as if a rodent was crawling through the vents. At first, that's what the child thought it was, until he heard that same demonic voice, calling his name and beckoning him to the basement, begging him to open the box.

"But, mommy said not to." The child shook his head. "She said that box must never be opened.

"Don't you wanna see what treasures lie inside?" The voice echoed.

"Mommy says there's only darkness in that box." The child frowned, wise enough to not buy the lie of the voice.

"Surely it won't hurt to take a little peak, if it's only darkness." The voice chuckled darkly, sending a shiver down the boy's spine. "How does one contain darkness in the first place?"

The child had to think about this for a moment. His mother had said no, and he has always been obedient towards his mother. Then again, he was very curious about the box, and wanted to know what was inside. The voice also had a point. How does one contain darkness?

"I'm sure mommy wouldn't mind if I took a little eensy weensy peak." The child assured himself as he stepped out of bed and quietly made his way out of his room.

Being as quiet as he can, the small child made his way downstairs to the basement. It was incredibly dark, but the bright blue illuminescents coming from the box that laid out in the open was enough for the child to track it down easily.

Cautiously stepping up to the box, the child reached up his arms to the lid, all the while the voice kept edging him on to open it.

"Yes, that's it, just a little farther."

At last, the child began to slowly lift the lid off the box, it's hinges squeaking loudly. All at once, a sudden gust of wind blew harshly through the basement, whipping the child's hair into his face as the lid suddenly flew out of his fingertips.

The child anxiously wiped his hair away from his face to see what he had done, and his eyes widened in terror as a dark shadow with glowing red eyes emerged from the box, standing tall and threatening over the young child.

The small boy was absolutely terrified, frozen in place as he stared up at the demonic creature before him.

"Congratulations." It snickered in that same dark voice. "You just won the honor of becoming my host until I am strong enough to use our powers combined to spread darkness and evil across the world."

At that, the shadow demon lunged at the child, and the young boy could do nothing but scream in silence as he slowly felt himself losing control of his own body as the shadow began filling him from inside.

When the deed was done, all the child could do was look out to the world behind his own eyes. Stuck in the pupil forever by this dark evil that has taken over his body.

He was trapped in his own self.


	2. The Letter

**Chapter 1: The Letter**

The morning was the same as every other in Scare School.

Friends were talking amongst each other, eating their sloppy breakfast served by the cafeteria lady, going over last night's homework, or about what the lessons might hold for them today, or just plain gossiping to each other.

Thatch was being a jerk and bullying anybody that passed him, as usual, while the friendly trio, Casper, Mantha, and Ra, sat a few tables away from the bully gang, watching with disgust.

Usually, Casper would throw himself in to stop the problem, but in honesty, he was quite relieved that the vampire was acting his normal bully self after everything that happened yesterday.

The night before, Wolfie was working on a science project, attempting to capture moonlight in some sort of strange box. His project had worked, but it came with consequences. The trapped moonlight had turned everyone into their opposites. Casper was only lucky not to be in the middle of the blast because he was out in Deedstown, helping his fleshie friend, Jimmy.

Mantha, the usually smart zombie, was dimwitted and slow. Ra, the usually nice and funny mummy, was pushy and cracked horrible jokes. The skeletwins, Mickey and Monaco, were incredibly smart instead of dimwitted and shallow. But what shocked Casper the most, was that the normally cruel and bully vampire, Thatch, was friendly and cared for others.

It seemed so natural, the way Thatch was so nice, as if he had been that way his whole life! He almost seemed, relieved with his new personality. And when Casper told him the truth about his normal personality, the vampire… didn't really seem that shocked, just… confused.

Casper probably would've allowed this to be the new norm, but he missed his real friends, and the school was in danger by both a friendly sea monster turned vicious, and a rampaging Wolfie that tore up the place.

But still, Casper couldn't help but remember how heartbroken Thatch looked when he agreed to help turn things back to normal. He remembered it clearly.

…

 _Casper turned away from the classroom door after he had peered in with Thatch. He was about to address the team, when he suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around his neck and pull him into a hug._

" _Bye Casper." Thatch said before releasing the smaller creature. "Here, I want you to have this."_

 _Casper watched as Thatch reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope with a bat seal on it._

" _It's a letter of me promising to never trap your locker again." The vampire explained._

 _Casper smiled warmly as he took the letter, looking up at the vampire._

 _Thatch's eyes looked so heartbroken. There was a hint of… longing in those eyes. Casper didn't quite understand it, and assumed that perhaps this nice Thatch was still getting over the fact that he can't stay like this. Casper would've more than anything be happy to allow Thatch to stay like this, but he had to think of the safety of others first, as at the moment they were about to be eaten by the sea monster._

" _Thanks Thatch." The ghost finally said. "I doubt you'll admit you wrote it."_

" _Heh, probably, but it's worth a shot." Thatch smiled back, that longing look still never leaving his eyes._

…

Casper smiled and reached into his bag, pulling out the letter, which he still hadn't opened yet.

"I'm glad everything is back to normal." Mantha announced. "But could've we at least kept the nice Thatch around?"

"Not unless we'd have sent him to Deedstown." Casper shook his head, admiring the smooth black bat seal that kept the letter closed. "Besides, we needed him to help turn everything back."

"You still haven't opened that letter he gave you?" Ra frowned, taking notice.

"Not that Thatch would believe he wrote it anyway." Mantha talked her eyes. "I doubt he would even recognize his own handwriting."

"Thatch was using his left hand a lot during that time, so you're probably right." Casper agreed.

"But still, aren't you curious to read what exactly he said?" Ra pressed. "I mean, if he was friendly, what would the friendly Thatch have said?"

"Hmm, you got a point Ra."

"And let's be honest, when will Mantha and I get a chance to hear legit friendly words coming from the vampire bully himself?"

"I must admit, I am a little curious." Mantha agreed. "So why don't you open it and see what's inside?"

"Ok, ok, I'll open it." Casper chuckled, bringing the letter up onto the table.

Careful as to not break the seal, Casper opened the envelope and pulled out the thin parchment paper from inside. The letter was folded, but right away, Casper could see that the letter was long. Much longer than a simple promise.

' _Huh, odd.'_ Casper thought as he unfolded the letter.

Once the letter was unfolded, Casper began scanning the delicate words written in black ink. As he skimmed over the sentences, his eyes widened in shock, his jaw hanging in apall.

"What in the world?!" He gasped.

"What is it, Casper?" Mantha urged, then frowned. "Did he trick you?"

"N-No. I-I don't know." The ghost shook his head.

"What is it then Casp?" Ra asked. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering his friends, Casper's gaze quickly snapped over to the vampire, and he immediately wished he hadn't.

Thatch was staring directly at the friendly trio, or more specifically, Casper. There was hatred in those eyes, much different than the friendly longing the ghost had seen in the more nicer side of the bully. A spark of red flashed through Thatch's eyes, his gaze moving to the letter.

Slightly terrified, Casper quickly turned around and hid the letter from view. A shiver went down his spine, despite being a ghost. Thatch seemed a bit more hostile than usual, and the ghost was beginning to understand why.

"Casper?"

Casper looked up at his two friends and saw their worried expressions. He had to tell them what he saw in the letter… but he couldn't tell them here.

"Not here." He whispered quietly to them. "It's not safe."

"What do you mean?" Mantha frowned. "Casper what's wrong."

Casper slightly shook his head and quickly flicked his eyes to the right, towards the direction of Thatch, who was still glaring at them.

Mantha and Ra immediately understood and slightly nodded. Whatever was in that letter, apparently Thatch wasn't allowed to see.

But if that's the case, then it was obviously not a friendly promise in that letter.

"Let's talk in the dorm." Mantha suggested. "We still got enough time before classes start."

"Good idea." Casper nodded.

With that, the three of them stood up from their table and began walking out the cafeteria. Thatch watched them from his seat, but he did not get up to follow them. Casper was overwhelmed with relief. After seeing what was in that letter, he didn't want the vampire anywhere near him or his friends.

…

The three friendly creatures walked in silence down the hall to the boys dorm. Not a word was spoken until they finally got to the dorm, closing the door behind them.

"Ok, we're here and nobody can hear us." Mantha sighed, crossing her arms as she looked at her ghostly friend. "Now spill. What is in that letter?"

"Yeah, obviously it's not anything nice, is it?" Ra asked.

"No, it's not nice at all." Casper shook his head. "In fact, it's utterly terrifying."

With that, Casper pulled the letter back out and spread it onto the floor. The friendly trio gathered around and sat on the floor together, reading what the letter had to say. They were unprepared to be reading what the words had to say.

 _Dear Casper, Mantha, and Ra,_

 _What I write to you is not what you would expect, obviously, but I need you to listen and to understand. I need your help. When Wolfie's project turned everybody into their opposites, it didn't just turn me opposite, it set me free, if at least for a brief moment. Allow me to explain. What you are used to be seeing from me is NOT the real me, but rather a dark and evil Shadow Demon who I had accidently released many years ago. This demon has been using me as his host, biding his time to allow his powers to grow stronger until he can use them and mine to spread darkness and evil through the entire world. He has me trapped in my own body. I have tried fighting against him, and I have been able to break through a few times, but he is much stronger than I am. I cannot stay in control of my body for much long until he pushes me back. I am forever trapped behind my own eyes. You must stop him before he regains full use of his powers! I have heard him say that by the next full moon, he'll be ready. You have to stop him, or else I will be trapped forever, and our world will be lost. I know you can do it. I have seen your courage, your wisdom, and your dedication. I have faith in you, but you must hurry. The next full moon is only in another 29 days._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Real Thatch_


	3. Proof?

**Chapter 2: Proof?**

The friendly trio had no idea what to say. They didn't even know what to think! Could it actually be possible that Thatch was under control, or was this just another one of his pranks?

But, then again, it was the friendly Thatch that had written this letter, and personally gave it to Casper. Was he really hoping that the friendly ghost would read it and discover the truth? The friendly Thatch had no reason to lie, so why was it so hard to believe this?

"What do you guys think?" Casper asked his two friends, hoping that at least one of them would be able to give him a little guidance.

"Honestly Casper, I don't know." Mantha shook her head. "It's hard to believe any of this."

"But, what reason would the friendly Thatch have to lie about this?" Ra questioned. "I mean, can't we give it just a benefit of a doubt that this might actually be true?"

"It would explain why Thatch can be friendly at some point, and then a bully again at the next." Casper nodded.

"Ok then, say it is real, how can we know for sure?" Mantha asked. "I mean, it's not like we can just walk right up to him and make him prove to us that there's a nicer Thatch trapped on the inside."

"You're right Mantha, you're right." Casper nodded, an idea coming to his head. Usually he would be against this, but this was an emergency, and an answer was needed. "But there is another way."

At this, Ra and Mantha stared at their friend expectantly, wondering what exactly Casper could be planning to help expose the vampire for not being who he claims to be. Casper sighed and continued his explanation.

"The Thatch in this letter says that he was able to break through his imprisonment a few times, fighting against the demon that controls him. If we can see him do this ourselves, we'll have our answer."

"Casper, are you suggesting we… spy on him?!" Mantha gasped in disbelief, Ra staring just as shocked.

"I wish there was another way." Casper sighed. "But unless we go digging through his personal belongings, I don't see any other way we can be sure that the words in this letter are true."

"Well, his coffin is sitting right here." Ra pointed out, looking directly at the black coffin that was the vampire's sleeping area. "And there's nobody here besides us. Plus, we still have about 5 minutes before class starts, so…"

"Ra's right," Mantha nodded in agreement. "It'd be a lot easier if we just looked around Thatch's coffin. Surely there's SOMETHING in there that can tell us if this is real or not."

Casper was hesitant. He really didn't want to go through Thatch's belongings, afraid of what he might see. He was even more afraid of getting caught by the vampire himself. But then again, his friends were right. Spying on Thatch would take a longer time than to just search through the coffin and find the proof they needed.

"You're right." He finally sighed. "Our best bet is to search through the coffin. But let's hurry, we got four minutes left and I don't wanna get caught, especially by Thatch."

Mantha and Ra nodded in agreement and the three friends quickly went over to the coffin. Lifting up the lid, all they saw was grey velvet lining, and a single white pillow.

No handles, no buttons, not even a blanket.

"There's gotta be something in here." Casper frowned. "Like, a secret cubby or something like that."

"If we just run our hands against the velvet, we might find a button or something." Mantha thought. "And if we knock on the walls and floor, we might be able to hear the hollow area."

"Right, come on, let's hurry."

Casper, Mantha, and Ra then proceeded to search the coffin, looking for hidden cubbies and possible switches or handles. At last, Ra knocked on the floor of the coffin, and a hollow sound greeted him.

"Guys, I think I found something."

Quickly, the mummy ran his hand along the area, looking for a hidden button or handle to open the cubby. He at last found a button and pressed it, allowing it to come up and turn into a handle. He grabbed it and opened the cubby. As the three friends stared inside, they gasped at what they saw.

Inside the cubby was a strange small black box. The box was covered with golden serpents around the rim, it's hinges were rusted with age. Hands reached to a blue gem on top of the lid, and around the box, painted on each side, was a pentagram made of blood.

Casper reached into the cubby and grabbed the box, feeling a jolt of dark energy go through him as he carefully pulled it out.

"What is it?" Ra asked, expectantly looking at Mantha.

"To be honest, I don't really know." The zombie admitted. "I've never seen anything like it."

"... I… feel something." Casper spoke as he studied the box. "Like… a dark energy, flowing through me. … It's coming from this box."

"This must be what Thatch released the demon from." Ra gasped. "If we can just find out what this box is, maybe it will give us enough proof."

"Maybe Ms. Heady will know." Mantha offered as she took the box from Casper and placed it in her bag. "This thing looks ancient. This is definitely a piece of history, and Ms. Heady IS a history teacher."

"Makes sense to me." Ra nodded.

"Let's just hope that Thatch doesn't notice that it's missing." Casper shivered has he closed the cubby and the lid to the coffin. "I got a bad feeling about this."

At that moment, the bell suddenly rang, signaling the students to get to their classes. The friendly trio looked at each other, fear running through them.

How can they possibly handle their classes, when a possible evil demon is in every single one of them, watching their every move, and silently plotting their possible deaths?


End file.
